Announcer

The hiring of Ken Wilson and Ken Brett as the Angels announcers for KTLA and the SportsChannel follows a season and off-season of many changes for both outlets. When the 1990 season began, Joe Torre and Reggie Jackson handled the KTLA telecasts, with Joe Garagiola and Torre working for SportsChannel. When Garagiola rejoined NBC's "Today" as a co-host in May, NBC's Charlie Jones stepped in on SportsChannel. In August, Torre returned to baseball as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.

NEW YORK - The Angels did not require the services of a closer Friday night. An offense that administered a rare beatdown of starter Hiroki Kuroda and pounded reliever Bruce Billings into submission in a 13-1 shellacking of the New York Yankees - the largest-ever margin of victory for the Angels in Yankee Stadium - made sure of that. The Angels crushed four home runs - a two-run shot to center field by Ian Stewart, a solo shot to left by Albert Pujols, a three-run shot to right-center by Erick Aybar and a solo shot to left by Collin Cowgill - to increase their major league-leading total to 35. With five more games this month, the Angels have broken the franchise record of 34 homers in April, set in 2000.

Bob LeMond Jr., 94, a familiar voice in radio and television as the announcer for "Leave It to Beaver," "Ozzie and Harriet," "Our Miss Brooks" and Lucille Ball's first radio sitcom, "My Favorite Husband," died Jan. 6 at his home in Bonsall, Calif., according to his family. The cause of death was not announced. Born in Hale Center, Texas, on April 11, 1913, LeMond grew up in Southern California and began his broadcasting career in the mid-1930s. He would spend most of his career working for CBS. During World War II, he was a special services officer with Armed Forces Radio serving in the South Pacific.

Set times for the 2014 Stagecoach Country Music Festival have been released by promoter Goldenvoice, which means festival-goers can now start figuring out whether to bypass newcomer Easton Corbin on Friday afternoon to catch Lynyrd Skynyrd playing at roughly the same time across the grounds at the Palomino Stage. Or if they'll have to sacrifice “American Pie” singer-songwriter Don McLean as the sun sets on Saturday to take in Pistol Annies member Ashley Monroe's performance at that same part of the day. One of the most impressive stretches of the entire weekend kicks in Sunday afternoon on the Palomino Stage, starting just before 3 p.m. when rising Americana duo Shovels & Rope performs, followed by “Twang Guitar King” Duane Eddy at 3:50 p.m., then veteran rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson at 4:55 p.m., country-rock pioneer (and part-time Monkee)

It's nice to see something warm and sentimental in the cynical world of sports. Dom Tiberi has covered the Ohio State football team since the 1980s. On Sept. 17, his daughter Maria, who attended Ohio State, was killed in a car accident. Last Saturday was Tiberi's first game back since his daughter's death. The Buckeyes wore the initials "MT" on their helmets during their 31-24 victory over Wisconsin and after the game, they each greeted Tiberi with a hug as they headed to the locker room.

The Lakers would not comment on media reports that team television play-by-play announcer Joel Meyers will be replaced by radio play-by-play announcer Spero Dedes at the end of the season. Dedes would become the third Lakers television announcer since the death of Hall of Famer Chick Hearn. Paul Sunderland took over for Hearn after Hearn's death in August 2002. "All of our announcers are under contract and we're not going to discuss that situation until the end of the season," said Lakers vice president of public relations John Black.

Ernie Harwell , the Hall of Fame voice of the Detroit Tigers whose decision to leave the Brooklyn Dodgers' radio booth played a role in the hiring of Vin Scully , died Tuesday. He was 92. Harwell died at his home in Novi, Mich., the Tigers said. He had been diagnosed with cancer of the bile duct last year. "All of Major League Baseball is in mourning tonight upon learning of the loss of a giant of our game, Ernie Harwell," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.

Ernie Harwell , the Hall of Fame voice of the Detroit Tigers whose decision to leave the Brooklyn Dodgers' radio booth played a role in the hiring of Vin Scully , died Tuesday. He was 92. Harwell died at his home in Novi, Mich., the Tigers said. He had been diagnosed with cancer of the bile duct last year. "All of Major League Baseball is in mourning tonight upon learning of the loss of a giant of our game, Ernie Harwell," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.

Dick Tufeld, a longtime radio and TV announcer who intoned "Danger, Will Robinson!" as the voice of the Robot in the 1960s science-fiction TV series "Lost in Space," has died. He was 85. Tufeld died Sunday at his home in Studio City while watching the NFL playoffs, his family said. He had heart disease and had been in declining health since sustaining a fall last year. In "Lost in Space," producer Irwin Allen's futuristic retelling of the "Swiss Family Robinson" story that aired on CBS from 1965 to 1968, actor Bob May wore the Robot costume and Tufeld provided the voice.

The punishment, of course, should fit the crime, so we're probably all in agreement it should be something cruel and inhumane like making Andy Rooney sit in Pacific Bell Park and listen to the only female public-address announcer in Major League Baseball take us from World Series batter to batter.

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department announced a new initiative Wednesday to encourage nonviolent prisoners who have served at least 10 years to apply for what is expected to be a large-scale grant of clemency in President Obama's waning years in office. Deputy Atty. Gen. James M. Cole announced that a new pardons attorney would take over a beefed-up office to handle requests that will be actively solicited throughout the federal prison system from thousands of prisoners who meet six criteria.

Looks like Maxwell is ready to end his disappearing act. The revered R&B singer is set to kick off the 2014 BET Experience by headlining a show at Staples Center on June 27 alongside songstresses Jill Scott, Marsha Ambrosius and “American Idol” winner Candice Glover. But the gig is also part of a summer trek that the crooner will launch in June. The 37-date Summer Soulstice tour will take Maxwell across North America on his first major tour since 2010. PHOTOS: 2013's year of controversial rap lyrics The tour launches Jun. 14 in Milwaukee and wraps Aug. 17 in Albuquerque.

For Steve Aoki fans, today brings news that's even better than a cake in the face . The DJ, producer, label czar and general party purveyor has announced a new album, "Neon Future 1. " It's due out Aug. 12 on his own Dim Mak Records and EDM staple label Ultra Music. It's the first installment of a two-part release, with the second due out in 2015. The first half of the double album features a huge range of collaborators, including will.i.am, Fall Out Boy, Empire of the Sun and Bonnie McKee.

A top advisor to Los Angeles lawmakers announced Tuesday he plans to retire after decades working in city government. "This decision does not reflect any dissatisfaction with the city," Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry Miller wrote in a Tuesday letter to the City Council. "After nearly 30 years and much thought I have decided that it is time to move on to explore other interests and spend more time with my spouse and family. " In the letter, Miller expressed mixed emotions and said his last day would be Aug. 29. He did not immediately return a call Tuesday seeking additional comment.

Swiss pharmaceutical titan Novartis AG on Tuesday announced an overhaul of its operations that involved several multibillion-dollar deals with GlaxoSmithKline intended to allow Novartis to focus on its oncology business and boost profitability, the companies said. The spate of deals follows recent consolidations in the pharmaceutical industry with large price tags, including the $5.6-billion acquisition of an Anaheim specialty drug firm by Irish pharmaceutical company Mallinckrodt this month.

Move over, Google Fiber: AT&T has begun discussions to bring its ultra-fast U-Verse GigaPower Internet service to 21 cities across the U.S., the company said Monday. AT&T and Google are racing to roll out Internet service with speeds of up to 1 gigabit a second, a bandwidth that can easily handle today's high-definition video and audio. AT&T plans to roll out U-Verse GigaPower to more markets more quickly than Google can. The Internet search giant is operating its fiber service in three cities and plans to expand to 10 more.

David Courtney, the long-time public address announcer for the Angels and Kings and the PA voice for the Clippers since 2008, has died from pulmonary embolism, the Angels announced on Thursday. He was 56. Courtney began announcing for the Kings in 1989 and for the Angels in 1994, and he also served as the Los Angeles Rams PA announcer for three years before the NFL team moved to St. Louis in 1995. “The Angels family is deeply saddened to hear of David's passing,” the team said in a statement.

The man with the trombone voice straddles two American art forms, jump shots and jazz, not quietly, mind you, for that horn of his is probably incapable of a mere whisper. But deftly and slyly, with frequent 16-hour workdays spent juggling two wildly divergent careers. Lawrence Tanter has been the Lakers' public address announcer for 28 years, and over that time you've probably heard him croon "Koooo-Beeee Bryant" or "Laker Girrrrrrls" hundreds of times. As the gold standard of NBA stadium announcers, he introduces the teams, then keeps you up on developments during the game.

A California congresswoman has announced plans to introduce federal legislation to toughen laws against what she called an epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses. In an appearance at UC Berkeley last week, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) said she would press for more aggressive action against sexual assault with increased funding for federal investigators, annual campus surveys and more comprehensive data on the outcomes of cases. She also said she would seek to require universities to interview students who file complaints of sexual misconduct, addressing widespread concerns about inadequate investigations.

The State Water Project, which helps supply a majority of Californians, will make small deliveries this year, officials said Friday as they increased the system's allocation to 5% from the historic zero announced in January. February and March storms in Northern California raised the levels of the state's two largest reservoirs enough to allow federal water managers to also significantly boost deliveries to wildlife refuges and irrigation districts with the most senior water rights in the Sacramento Valley.